Rilla Monastry

Trip Start Jul 03, 2000
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41
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Trip End Jan 09, 2001


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Flag of Bulgaria  ,
Friday, November 17, 2000

This place was so relaxing and stunning and well worth the 120km drive south of Sofia. Rila is a tiny place, with a main centrepiece of the Monastery nestled amongst the Rila Mountains. Inside the stone monastery unfolded an irregular cobblestone pathed courtyard before the surrounding four stories of wooden balconies and the three main domes of the church. The outsides of the Monastery are quite harsh but this gives way to rich colours inside the enclosure. There were some stunning, very bright and intense iconic paintings in the main square and the sound of running water echoed through the courtyard.
It was pretty crisp when we were here, a sign that winter was well on its way and the autumn colours really gave the place a rustic feel. We stayed in a dormintory style accommodation just on the outside of the monastery that was really bare. It was estential a large long room, with full lenght floorboards, wooden walls, small windows and about 16 beds laid side by side down the room. It was pretty freezing at night with the only light coming from candles. Still it seemed to match the surroundings we were in. There was only one other guest staying in the room, an older french fellow.

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